After Xiang Liang captured Guangling City, the assembled officers temporarily made camp outside the city, awaiting Xiang Liang's next orders. Meanwhile, Xiang Liang, Xiang Bo, Fan Zeng, and the others actively contacted the rulers of neighboring states that had successfully restored themselves, dispatching several strategists to lobby them.
Among those strategists was someone Xiang Yu and Xiang An knew well—or rather, someone they deeply loathed. His name was Wu Ju.
Wu Ju was sent to the State of Wei, governed by Wei Jiu. Wei had originally been restored with the help of Zhou Shi, one of Chen Sheng's subordinates, but Wei Jiu was clearly no simple character. Recently, he had used various schemes to kill Zhou Shi, who had been lording it over him, and seized control of Wei for himself. Wu Ju's purpose was to persuade Wei Jiu to form a united front with King Huai of Chu, Xiong Xin, and resist Qin together.
Xiang Liang also sent men to King Tian Dan of Qi, whose state had already been restored directly to the north, as well as to the more distant State of Yan.
Xiang Liang had originally intended to win over Zhang Chu as well. Though Chen Sheng's character was utterly terrible, as the first man to raise the banner of rebellion, he still possessed considerable influence. Yet before anyone could be sent to persuade him, Chen Sheng was killed by Zhang Han and a traitor within his ranks, which left Xiang Liang rather irritated.
But what truly gave Xiang Liang a headache was that thing wedged between Western Chu and Qi.
That other "Chu."
After reorganization and expansion, Western Chu's army had now grown to more than thirty thousand men. Since Xiang Yu had earned merit by leading troops to capture Guangling, he had been promoted